Only one West Basin water district board seat on the ballot

In 2008, four local water board seats were contested - two each with the West Basin Municipal Water District and the Water Replenishment District of Southern California.

West Basin supplies imported and recycled water to about two-thirds of the South Bay, while the WRD manages the groundwater supply for 43 county cities.

But this year features just one competitive race, with West Basin board Vice President Carol Kwan running against Jake Townsend of Manhattan Beach.

And saying it's competitive could be a stretch, considering Townsend said he's not campaigning against Kwan, who is seeking a fifth term in Division 3. Her district takes in the South Bay beach cities, Lomita and unincorporated county areas near Torrance.

The race hasn't been completely quiet, however. In August, Kwan went to court to challenge the county registrar's decision allowing Townsend to list two occupations on the Nov. 6 ballot: communications consultant and professor.

Townsend is an adjunct professor at USC, but Kwan's attorney, WRD board President Albert Robles, said the title he used was misleading. A judge disagreed and let it stand.

First elected in 1996, Kwan lives in the unincorporated area near Torrance.

The uncontested local water agency candidates are: West Basin board President Don Dear of Division 5, covering Gardena, Hawthorne, Lawndale and El Camino Village; the WRD's Robles, whose Division 5 stretches from Carson to Whittier; and WRD Division 2 Director Rob Katherman, representing most of the South Bay, the Palos Verdes Peninsula and parts of Los Angeles, including San Pedro and Wilmington.